


After Christmas Shopping

by Kate_Marley



Series: PruAus Advent Calendar Contributions (and More) [6]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Love and insecurities, M/M, but you can disregard that easily if it isn't your cuppa, petty things raise existential questions, there's a tiny hint towards AusHun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-19 07:10:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22007137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kate_Marley/pseuds/Kate_Marley
Summary: Once the stores reopen on the 27th, Austria takes Prussia along on his yearly After Christmas shopping trip.
Relationships: Austria/Prussia (Hetalia)
Series: PruAus Advent Calendar Contributions (and More) [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/610312
Comments: 9
Kudos: 20





	After Christmas Shopping

“Why do you even buy all that stuff?” Prussia threw a meaningful glance at Austria’s shopping trolley as he pushed it over the parking, towards Austria’s trusty old car. His breath formed little puffs in the icy morning air.

 _Typical,_ Austria thought. The weather had been rather warm until after Christmas. Now the streets were freezing over in the mornings, but there was still no snow.

“Because you get gift wrapping paper with Christmas motives and Christmas cards at half the original price now,” Austria said in his best _Look, I’m only being reasonable_ tone. “It’s not as if they’d go bad within a year, is it?”

“Well, if you put it that way...” Prussia shrugged. There had been a time, not long ago, when he would have made fun of Austria’s thriftiness, but he had become more used to it over the years. “Still ... five boxes of Danish butter cookies? Surely _they_ won’t last until next Christmas!”

“Yes, but you get them with all these pretty Christmas motifs on them for less than a euro now, and the list of ingredients is only printed on a sticker! We can eat the biscuits together and remove the sticker afterwards. Next year, I can put my own baked goods in and give the tins away as a present.”

“Oh.” Austria could practically watch Prussia’s brain cells spring into action. “Speaking of ... it’s been years since you’ve given me a cookie tin...”

Someone else might have heard _Next year, I want a tin, too._ Austria heard the unspoken insecurity behind the question. It was funny, really… No, funny was the wrong word. Strange. At least if you didn’t know Prussia as well as he did.

They had been an item for several years now. Rationally, Prussia knew—or at least, should have known by now—that he could rely on Austria’s romantic feelings. Austria didn’t fall in love easily, but if he loved someone, then he loved them. He would let go of them if there was no other way, but he wouldn’t fall out of love. Never had.

And yet, there was this underlying insecurity on Prussia’s part; this lingering feeling of _How can someone like you love someone like me._ It hurt Austria to know how bruised Prussia’s soul was.

Then again, who was he to talk? It was the exact same feeling that strained his relations to Hungary, only this time, on his own part. And unlike him, Hungary had reacted with annoyance: _Stay away from me if you don’t think you’re worthy of my love! Learn to love yourself first!_

But that was the thing, wasn’t it? How could you learn to love yourself unless someone else showed you they loved you unconditionally first?

A mother’s love was unconditional. That was how human babies were supposed to learn to develop trust; to learn that their mothers would always love them, no matter what. But the personifications of countries had no mothers, at least not in the sense that human beings did.

“...So why don’t I get a tin as well?” said Prussia into Austria’s thoughts.

“Oh, _darling!”_ Austria put his gloved hands over Prussia’s that were still holding the trolley. “Of course you don’t get biscuits in a tin! You get them fresh out of the oven—once they have cooled down to edible temperatures, that is—because you’re the one who stands next to me while I bake them!”

“Ah...” Prussia coughed, looking away in embarrassment. “Well. If you put it that way...”

 _“Du Dummerl!”_ Austria chided, using the softest insult he could think of. “A jar full of biscuits could never tell you how much you mean to me!” He cupped Prussia’s face in his gloved hands. “Or maybe it could, under certain circumstances, but I believe this is better evidence.” And he planted a gentle kiss on Prussia’s lips.


End file.
